1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tether clip for locking a garnish to a vehicle body pillar.
2. Description of the Related Art
An airbag device (curtain airbag device) whose airbag body, which is packed in a vehicle body pillar of a vehicle and expands and develops at a lateral side in the vehicle interior, is formed such that the airbag body is housed between the vehicle body pillar and a garnish, and the vehicle interior side is covered by a pillar garnish.
The airbag body, to which gas is supplied from an inflator, expands and presses the pillar garnish to release the pillar garnish from the vehicle body pillar so that the airbag body develops into the vehicle interior from the gap formed between the vehicle body pillar and the pillar garnish.
Herein, the pillar garnish is desired to be locked to the vehicle body pillar so that the pillar garnish released from the vehicle body pillar is prevented from flying toward the vehicle interior.
For example, Patent Document 1 (JP2000-344045 A) discloses a fitting mechanism capable of preventing a pillar garnish from flying, the pillar garnish having been released from a vehicle body pillar by expansion of an airbag.
The fitting mechanism disclosed by Patent Document 1 is configured such that the pillar garnish is slidable along the axial direction of a locking member, and the pillar garnish, which has been released from the vehicle body pillar at a time of expansion of the airbag, slides along the axial direction of the locking member.
The fitting mechanism disclosed by Patent Document 1 is configured such that the pillar garnish is slidable only in one direction. Accordingly, there is a case that the direction in which the airbag presses the pillar garnish and the axial direction in which the pillar garnish is slidable are different form each other. In this case, as the pillar garnish is pressed along a direction different from the direction where the pillar garnish is slidable, the pillar garnish cannot satisfactorily slide. Accordingly, it is possible that the pillar garnish is broken, being pressed by the airbag.